Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Brazil MOH: Epi Week 7 Microcephaly report

The Brazilian MOH's weekly report card on their microcephalic surveillance has been released, and it indicates that 360 new suspected cases have been added since last week's report.

The number under investigation increases only by 172, however, as over the past week 113 cases were discarded and 75 cases were confirmed.

Out of 1533 cases already investigated, 950 (62%) have been discarded as not meeting the requirements for microcephaly. Still, at this rate, Brazil will have recorded thousands of microcephaly cases by the time all are investigated.

Report released on Tuesday (23) points also dropped
950 notifications and 583 confirmed for microcephaly and other nervous
system disorders

The microcephaly suspected cases under investigation by the Ministry of Health and the states reach 4,107 nationwide. The figures are part of the report Epidemiology of microcephaly, released on Tuesday (23). The
report also shows that 950 notifications have been discarded and 583
confirmed for microcephaly and other nervous system disorders,
suggestive of congenital infection.

The 583 confirmed cases occurred in 235 municipalities
located in 16 Brazilian states: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão,
Rondônia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Paraíba,
Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Goiás , Rio de Janeiro and Rio
Grande do Sul. Since the 950 cases were discarded because they had
normal exams, or submit microcefalias and / or changes in the central
nervous system by an infectious causes.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Health is
investigating all cases of microcephaly and other disorders of the
central nervous system, informed by the states and the possible
relationship with the Zika virus and other congenital infections. Microcephaly
can be caused by various infectious agents beyond Zika, such as
syphilis, toxoplasmosis, Other Infectious Agents, Rubella,
Cytomegalovirus and Herpes Viral.

The 4,107 cases under investigation represent 72.8% of
the total cumulative reported 5,640 cases since the beginning of
investigations on October 22, 2015 until February 20, 2016. The total
reported is spread over 1,101 municipalities in 25 Brazilian states. Amapá and Amazonas are the only states of the federation which has no record of cases.

In all, 120 deaths were reported by microcephaly and / or
alteration of the central nervous system after birth (stillbirth) or
during pregnancy (miscarriage or stillbirth). Of these, 30 were confirmed to microcephaly and / or alteration of the central nervous system. Other research continue 80 and 10 have been discarded.

Of the total confirmed, 67 were reported by specific laboratory criteria for Zika virus. However,
the Ministry of Health points out that this figure does not represent
adequately the total number of cases related to the virus. The folder considers that there was infection Zika mostly mothers who had babies, whose final diagnosis was microcephaly.

So far, they are with indigenous circulation of Zika virus 22 units of the federation. They
are: Goiás, Minas Gerais, Federal District, Mato Grosso do Sul,
Roraima, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão,
Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia,
Espírito Santo , Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Parana. There was also confirmation of transmission of the virus in 29 countries in the Americas.

ORIENTATION -
The Ministry of Health advises pregnant women to adopt measures to
reduce the presence of Aedes aegypti, with the elimination of breeding
sites, and protect themselves from mosquito exposure, such as keeping
doors and closed or screened windows, wear pants and shirt sleeve and
use repellents allowed for pregnant women.